HIT OR MYTH: OUTSOURCING I.T.

Bringing up the topic of outsourcing I.T sends shivers down the spines of most business owners. Just the idea of outsourcing as a possibility, is a scary thought. While technology and data are precious, businesses are hesitant of giving over their data to an outside service to manage. There are a few myths and misconceptions about what outsourcing your I.T really means and what it does for your business. But don’t let them scare you away from the possibility of finding the right MSP company to work with!

Myth: Some business owners believe that only large corporations can benefit from outsourcing and hiring an MSP. They think that contracts run around millions of dollars, so there’s no way a small business or start up can flip that bill. How can an MSP help out a small business when they don’t have the money or resources a bigger and most established business has? There’s no way they’d even waste their time with us.

Truth: The idea that big businesses are the only ones that can benefit from outsourcing, is not true. When smaller businesses hire an MSP team, they are increasing their competence level in a cost-effective and responsible way. Outsourcing your I.T will allow your business to stay consistent in the way they manage their I.T issues.

Myth:The thought of handing over your company’s data to a bunch of strangers is not a welcomed idea among many business owners. There’s a lot of financial and confidential information among that data. Losing control over your business is not something you’re interested in, so why give another company power over the systems and technology that you’re using?

Truth: It’s understandable that as a business owner, you’re protective of important and confidential information and don’t want someone else making important decisions for you. But, in reality, the job of an MSP is to provide assistance and suggest a strategy for an issue you may be facing with your technology. Their job is not to make the big technological decisions for your business. While an MSP works for you, they meet your standards and gives you the ultimate control while simply shifting the way the information is processed.

Myth: Why would I want to take my I.T outside of where I work when I can have someone in the same building as me work on the issues I may face? An in-house I.T team will be more competent handling any challenges hands on.

Truth: The quality and competence of an MSP depends solely on the team itself. There are plenty of reliable and qualified teams out there waiting to help you and your business. A good I.T company will invest in innovative technology and systems to help give you quality solutions. A team of I.T technicians at a MSP also produce more brainpower than a typical in-house I.T department by working sometimes collaboratively to come up with a solution. Exceptional customer service is a priority for any proper MSP. When a business and their chosen MSP decide to do business together, there will be a SLA established. A service-level agreement is a mutual understanding between both parties of what the expectations are.

Myth: As a business, budgeting is one of the most important things you can do to make sure you are on the right path to success. Why pay an MSP a ton of money when you can just hire someone to work in the building and take care of what you need. Sure, maybe upfront its affordable, but not in the long run. Employing an in-house staff is the way to go.

Truth: Employing someone to the in-house I.T staff sounds like a good plan, but the reality is that there are far more costs associated with hiring even that one person for the job as opposed to hiring an outsourced service team. An employee in the company costs tens or thousands of dollars each year, plus benefits they receive and even the training they will need to do that job if they don’t have much experience with I.T.

Myth: If you’re going to trust an MSP with your I.T, you want to have open communication with them. But don’t they lack decent communication resources? It’s too difficult to call and stay on the phone for sometimes hours at a time to find a solution to a problem.

Truth: A well rounded I.T service will have a good deal of experience and knowledge. They will standardize their equipment to help create a stabilized network. Some MSPs will provide the hardware that your company needs to fill an office such as computers, phone systems, firewalls, etc. By standardizing the equipment, they can familiarize themselves with solution sets and troubleshooting their hardware to ensure the best performance of the technology. Communication is also more than phone calls. Email, chat services, screen sharing, and even a direct phone call, can make your communication experience with your MSP more enjoyable and less of a hassle.